Slow Animals
by melloncolliesadness
Summary: AU set in high school


Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

It didn't matter how many times Dylan adjusted her pillows she just couldn't fall back asleep. Her plush tie-dye sheet covered bed creaked as she rose and unhooked her robe from the bed post. The clock behind her reminded Dylan that it was _twelve_ in the afternoon on the first day of summer. The redhead padded downstairs to an empty kitchen to make breakfast, which would consist of wholegrain toast and grapefruit slices. An iPhone overpowered the sound of a whistling teapot and Dylan answered the call with a mere glance at caller id.

"I was wondering if I could come over now?" inquired her russet haired friend.

"I don't care, it's not like anyone's home anyway" reported Dylan smearing jelly on her toast. She poured water from the kettle over her teabag and opened the cabinet to find some sugar. This won't do, she thought, her stupid sisters used all the raw sugar leaving her with stupid _Splenda_. They both knew how much Dylan despised their favorite artificial sweetener but that didn't falter them from leaving her with the short stick. She wondered why people that were never home would even go out of their way to make her life difficult but decided on the fact that her sisters just were selfish. Light knocks on the door interrupted Dylan's train of thought and she decided to put two big spoonfuls of honey in her tea.

"It's open!" belted the redhead taking a bite out of her toast. Her best friend came in with an armful of clothes spewing over her shoulders.

"I didn't know what to wear to that party, so I just brought everything worth considering." Massie was desperately trying to catch her breath: she dropped the clothes on the counter next to Dylan and finger combed her hair off her sweaty forehead.

"You look terrible, did you run here?" giggled Dylan finishing off the last bites of her toast. Massie was resting her hand on the counter in an attempt to balance herself. She was wearing a white crop top that had slight sweat stains, a plaid tennis skirt, and white ankle socks that complimented her white and tan platform sandals.

"I speed walked but I was only two houses down when I called you. I feel like all my makeup has melted off my face," stated Massie. She wiped her sweaty palms on her bare thighs and opened up Dylan's fridge, pulling out orange slices.

"How about we go up to my room? It's so creepy down here" Dylan pulled the thin robe closer to her body, "I hate when I'm home alone." Massie shrugged in response while she scooped up her clothes, balancing the oranges in her other hand. They ran up the marble staircase into the comfort of Dylan's room. The brunette unbuckled her sandals to prop her feet on the comforter that was mused around the edge of the bed.

"I heard that some people from Westchester prep are coming to Fawns party" said Massie. She watched Dylan stop in her tracks and turn around to face her.

"What? Why would she invite them?" She questioned waving her toothbrush in the air. It was no surprise to Massie the shock on Dylan's face since Westchester Prep and Briarwood have had a rivalry since before their time. It was only fitting that Dylan, the cheerleading captain of the Briarwood Huskies, would keep up the less than friendly terms with the former.

"I don't know but I'm more surprised that Josh approved of that. He has had it out for the captain of their soccer team that made out with his girlfriend." she responded. Dylan went back to the bathroom to finish brushing her teeth. Massie sighed and leaned back against the bed looking out the large rectangular windows. Dylan's mysterious neighbor was sitting outside with two of his friends on a large blanket. They were intensely listening to a brown haired boy that was wearing a white button up. Even though Massie couldn't see his whole face, just fragments of his nose and cheekbones when he smiled, she knew he was attractive. His story grew wilder she inferred, by the gestures of his hand and the other boy's excited faces. The group of well-dressed boys must have felt her staring and turned around to meet her eyes. With nowhere to hide, she raised her hand in a half-assed wave that distracted from her flush complexion. Two of the boys stared back at her while one of them, the supposed super cute one, laughed and waved. Massie lay back on the bed and proceeded to roll away from the window. Dylan laughed behind her, having watched the whole scene.

"You are the biggest dork I have ever met in my life. I still wonder how you manage in life," giggled Dylan whipping away the tears in her eyes. Massie pouted at her before completely removing herself from the bed.

"I don't even know what's wrong with me. If only I could be as smooth as you. I beg you, tell me your secrets," she mocks clasping her hands together in a begging fashion. Dylan patted her head before opening her drawers. She pulled out numerous halter tops, and cropped sweaters.

"I need help finding what to wear to this party. I'm torn between two styles; the halter says 'hey I have fun and let loose every weekend' while the cropped sweater says 'I look demure but I swear I'm the life of the party'" bemused Dylan. Massie lays out her clothes next to Dylan thinking about their choices.

"I think you should wear a halter top and those shorts we got at American Apparel a couple of days ago" stated Massie eyeballing her own choices. She picks up a white copped polo and lays it on top of distressed high waist black shorts.

"Can I borrow your white high top converse? I left mine at home" questions Massie. Dylan looks up from two different halter tops to signal yes at her. Dylan picks up a navy blue halter top with a crescent moon pattern and throws it back in the dresser.

…..

Derrick gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. He couldn't believe that his friends where stupid enough to accept an invitation to Fawn's party. She attended their rival school and her self-declared best friend wanted Derrick's head on a silver platter.

"I don't know what would possess you guys to tell Fawn that we would be there. Her best friend has it out for me for," Derrick glares at his _obviously stupid_ friend sitting in the passenger seat silently wishing his looks could kill.

"It's not every day that we get invited to party thrown by a rival school and I wasn't going to waste it because of some stupid beef that has nothing to do with me" quips Cam. Kemp blindly agrees with him messing with threads on his jeans. Even though all of the boys were on the soccer team, Cam and Kemp managed to keep friendly terms with their biggest rival.

"It would also be the perfect time to find new girls since you've managed to piss off every girl worth talking to at our school" suggests Kemp patting Derrick on the shoulder. The blonde boy grumbled in response before pulling into an empty spot at Chipotle. He yanked his keys out of the ignition, swung his door open, and slammed it shut in annoyance. Nothing to worry about, he thought, if there ever is a fight you at least have those two idiots to help you out. This immediately calmed him down and he turned to look at his friends with a joking smile on his lips.

"Yeah I guess, but if all of them are as weird as my neighbor then I'm going to pass," jokes Derrick remembering the girl from the window earlier.

"I thought she was kind of cute from what I could see," says Cam holding the door open for the rest of them.

"I couldn't see her face but I mean she waved and then disappeared. It was strange," retorted Kemp.

"My neighbor and her friends are always strange. They play twister with paint all the time in the front lawn," shrugs Derrick after he's finishing ordering. He pays the cashier and goes to the fountain drink station the other boys close behind him.

"That's not strange, that's fun! I played it with my little sister's friends once," insisted Kemp as he unwrapped his burrito. Cam rolls his eye while taking a sip of his drink sharing a look with Derrick.

"You think everything your little sister does is fun. She once gave you that botched haircut and you said that was fun. So basically everything you think is fun is completely wrong," Cam said.

"Kemp your little sister has you delusional," Derrick added before whipping his hands on his napkin.

"You guys are just jealous of all the time I spend with her. That's okay, I'll promise to spend some more time with my two favorite boys," He laughed. The other two boys glanced at each other before letting out small chuckles of amusement. That was Kemp's favorite activity, making people laugh; it didn't matter if he was having a bad day that would make him feel better immediately. He liked to think that was his best quality or his only quality that made people want to talk to him. He didn't possess Derrick's charming banter, or Cam's sarcastic sweet nature but he could make people happy. He could make them laugh. Kemp though back to the girl from the window and thought about her dumbstruck face. It made him laugh so hard that he couldn't even get a good look at her: the way she just waved and then disappeared. It was one of the funniest things he has ever encountered, even at her expense. She was clearly embarrassed but she was the one who got caught staring at them from a window like some pervert, he reminded himself before he felt guilty.

"Kemp you ready to go?" Derrick was standing up chucking his empty drink into a recycling bin, while Cam looked at him whipping his face with a napkin his head motioning to the door. Kemp nodded and threw away his half eaten food; realizing he wasn't even hungry to begin with.

...

She hated when things like this happen. She hated that blonde boy so much but she couldn't bring herself to say it. Someone had to take the blame for his infidelity and if he wasn't going to own up too then she had to. There had to be something that Fawn could have done to make him stay, to make him keep his promises to her but it seemed like that evaporated when he met that demure blonde from Westchester Prep. She couldn't remember her name- but-she replayed Plovert's moments with the girl that approached the boundaries of intimate. Fawn just couldn't catch a break, it seemed as though everyone was against her. Her parents didn't bother to ask, Dylan was busy with Massie, and Josh was planning against that soccer player. All she needed was some comfort. Fawn surveyed the mess around her room with discomfort before picking up the clothes she tossed on the floor yesterday. If there was one thing Fawn couldn't stand it had to be a mess and that was exactly where her life was heading.

"Fawn, why do you have to be so unfair?" moaned a brunette boy slinking into her room. He was kicking off his Nike sneakers adding to the heap of clothes that were conjugating on the floor.

"It's not my fault that guy made out with Allie. I don't see the big deal anyway, you barely even liked her. I clearly remember you saying that the only reason you were dating her was because of her mother's cooking and… big pool, right?" Fawn snatched jeans off the floor before throwing them on her bed along with an armful of sweaters. Josh looked up at her, a smug smile forming on his cherry lips.

"The point is I need to defend my honor," he replied. Josh noticed that Fawn's normal happy disposition was disrupted with something more melancholy. She trudged around her room putting things back in perfect order without turning around to reply to him.

"Is there something I'm missing?" Josh rose to meet her on the other side of her room, "Why the sad face?" His arms snaked around her waist and she leaned into him. She took deep breaths; putting her hands over Josh's she looked up at him from her position in the crook of his neck. Even though they were only friends, Fawn could easily admit that Josh was one of the best looking guys she had ever seen. His tan skin, dark hair, and even darker eyes were popular among the girls at her school and she fondly remembers how many of her friends had crushes on him.

"… I'm fine," she paused taking in a deep breath, "just some stupid party jitters."

"I really don't care that you invited them you know. He doesn't bother me anymore, I just like to mess with him," he whispers into her diamond studded ear. Fawn turns around to face him, and wraps her arms around his neck.

"I know Josh. You could never hurt a fly." She rubs the back of his head which causes him to close his eyes. He lets out a sigh before bringing her closer into the embrace that was comforting for both parties. Josh could feel her distress but didn't want to press the subject any further in hopes that she would eventually tell him. The smaller of the two pulled back first returning back to her previous state of cleaning.

"Have you talked to Dylan or Massie today?"

"I text Dylan before I came here and she said that they would be here an hour early to help you prepare." Josh quips finding a clean spot on the bed for him to sit upon.

"Good. Now I just have to find something to wear." Fawn descends into her closet looking around at all of the clothes around her. She searches over the racks before deciding on a striped t-shirt romper and ankle boots.

"Does this look nice? It doesn't matter that much though, everyone will be too hammered to even notice what I'm wearing."

"Sure, it looks fine." Fawn looks pleased with his answer before sitting on the beanbag on her floor. She couldn't help but be distracted from the boy sitting three feet away from her. When her eyes were closed all she saw was Plovert with that blonde-over and over again. It didn't matter how many times she gave herself a pep talk and told herself it was nothing; she knew the truth. That's exactly why she invited people from Westchester Prep. One thing she knew about the mysterious blonde was that she was friends with Derrick Harrington and if he attended the party, so would she. All Fawn had to do was flirt with his best friend and it seemed as though everything was in place. If this girl was going to steal her boyfriend, she wanted to see what all the fuss was about. The beautiful raven haired girl had a problem with competition and she refused to acknowledge the possibility of Plovert leaving her. She didn't care if he had genuine feelings for her, they didn't belong together. Fawn and Plovert made sense and Plovert and –whatever her name was- didn't, as simple as that. She knew that she was being selfish but Fawn wanted to fix her relationship that was crumbling faster than she could comprehend. He helped her through her mother's miscarriage, and then her parents failed marriage; she couldn't let him go even if she tried.

"Want to watch While You Were Sleeping?" questioned Josh interrupting her train of thought.

"I'd love too." She climbed across her clothes and cuddled up next to him as he found her favorite movie on Netflix. Her negative thought drifted into the back of her mind as she inhaled into Josh's shirt, her eyes never leaving the screen.


End file.
